The Madison County Farm Bureau Women's Committee, along with nine other surrounding County Farm Bureaus, donated nearly $1,000 worth of Fresh Florida grown food to the Tallahassee Ronald McDonald House. The purpose was to celebrate Food Check Out Week.

Food Check Out Week is celebrated nationwide as the number of days it takes the average American Family to work in order to earn enough money to pay for the entire food bill for the family. According to USDA statistics, families work between 35 and 36 days at his or her jobs to earn enough money for their grocery bill.

In comparison, it takes sometimes during the month of May for the same American Family to earn enough money to pay for all the families' taxes. This day is commonly called Tax Freedom Day.

What this all means is very simple. Food is a bargain in our nation. We have the safest and also the most abundant food supply of any nation on earth.

In addition to delivering a huge load of groceries, the Farm Bureau ladies also prepared a great noon luncheon for the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald House, and numerous other guests. Among the guests were Congressional aides, Senate aides, and even State Legislators.

The ladies delivered beef, pork, chicken and also vegetables. They also gave the Charity $300 worth of gift certificates to purchase milk and other dairy products during the coming year.

This is the ninth consecutive year that the Farm Bureau women have made this donation to Ronald McDonald House.

When Suwannee River floodwaters at Branford fell below 24 feet, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) deactivated boating restrictions in Zone 3.

Zone 3 runs from Little River Spring to the County Road 340 Bridge at Rock Bluff. This 23-mile segment is an idle-speed, no-wake zone as long as the Suwannee River is at 24 feet or more above mean sea level at the Branford gauge.

The FWC activated restrictions in this zone Feb. 15.

"This morning, we verified with the Suwannee River Water Management District that the water level there has fallen below the required 24 feet at Branford," said Capt. Roy Brown, area supervisor at the FWC's Lake City office.

"Zones 4 and 5 are still idle-speed, no-wake," Brown said, "and we still have officers patrolling that area to enforce the boating restrictions."

Zone 4 runs from the C.R. 340 Bridge at Rock Bluff to one mile below the Fowler Bluff boat ramp. Zone 5 is a 32-mile segment, extending from River Rise in O'Leno State Park west to the confluence of the Suwannee River. The FWC activated the zone on Jan. 29, when the Santa Fe River reached 17 feet on the Three Rivers gauge, where flood stage is 19 feet.

"The water levels on both rivers are going down slowly," Brown said. "But it may take a while longer before we can deactivate these zones."

An idle-speed, no-wake zone means a vessel must proceed at a speed no greater than what is required to maintain steerageway and headway. At no time is any vessel required to proceed so slowly that the operator is unable to control it or anything it may be towing.

The Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers are divided into five flood zones. The other three zones are:

* Zone 1, from the U.S. 90 Bridge at Ellaville south to the State Road 51 Bridge at Luraville. This 39-mile segment becomes an idle-speed, no-wake zone when the Suwannee River reaches 47 feet or more at the Ellaville gauge, where flood stage is 54 feet.

* Zone 2, from the S.R. 51 Bridge at Luraville to Little River Spring. This 18-mile segment becomes an idle-speed, no-wake zone when the Suwannee River reaches 26 feet or more above mean sea level at the Branford gauge, where flood stage is 29 feet.

For more information about the flood zones, please call 386-758-0525. To report violations, please call 888-404-3922.

To obtain real-time river level information, visit www.mysuwanneeriver.comm.